Summary: The differences between riches, wealth, and prosperity. Black Friday came and went I the midst of protests from the injustices perpetuated on black people in general and black men in particular. Protests were held at Malls and department stores and there was an attempt to protest the Thanksgiving Day parade…and believe it or not it worked! The projected profits from black Friday fell 11% and sent the stock markets reeling. Most of it was black dollars the buying power that has been underestimated in the system [and you know when I say the system it is the system of white supremacy and its economic component] and misunderstood by our community. “In 2014, $50.9 billion was spent during the 4-day Black Friday weekend, down 11% from last year. While approximately 133 million U.S. consumers shopped during the same period, down 5.2% from last year's 141 million.” I have to see numbers on paper to understand the power we have as black consumers because we have been told so many times that our black dollars are useless. But the Nielsen and the National Newspaper Publishers Association writes this: “Black buying power continues to increase. It is currently $1 trillion, but is forecast to increase up to $1.3 trillion by 2017. Population growth and increased educational attainment are key factors in the uptick in Black consumer power according to the “Resilient, Receptive and Relevant African-American Consumer 2013 Report.” Lasana K. Mack, founder and executive director of APPEAL, Inc., based in Washington, D.C. “We should begin to spend a substantial portion of those dollars with Black-owned businesses; we should be depositing substantial amounts of those dollars in Black-owned banks.”
